A New Bookstore for Middleburg

Last night I was overjoyed to receive an email announcing the opening of a new bookstore in Middleburg. This means our lovely little town will be without a bookstore for only a month - and that is great news! This new store, Second Chapter Books, will be a full-service bookstore in every sense of the word - new books, e-books, online ordering and all of the same services that Books & Crannies provided. What's really wonderful is that the store is being opened by two of the most remarkable people I have ever met in my life, Kathy jo Shea and Jilann Brunett. And some of the best news of all is that the store will be managed by Laura Vermillion. Laura was always the heart of Books & Crannies and I am thrilled that she will continue her stellar career in the book business at Second Chapter. Kathy jo and Jilann are well established and important residents of Middleburg. Through Solstice Healing Center they provide acupuncture and massage therapy services to a lot of us. They are women of the highest integrity and that is important to know because of the way in which Second Chapter is being structured. Here is how they put it in the news release sent out last night:

A TOWN WITHOUT A BOOKSTORE? NOT MIDDLEBURG! OPENING IN DECEMBER…SECOND
CHAPTER BOOKS, LLC.

Located at 8 East Federal, the bookstore will be managed by Laura Vermillion (formerly of Books and Crannies). The small, two-story house features a garden and is conveniently accessed from the Liberty Street parking lot. We want this to be a community bookstore so we are offering the Discount Club, volunteer opportunities, and are accepting suggestions about how the bookstore could better serve the community. Some of our ideas include author events, walk-in book discussions, online ordering, storytelling, used-book exchanges, gift certificates, featured books, comfortable chairs and garden seats during the warmer months.

We are very excited about this venture and want you to all be a part of it. So, we are offering Founding Memberships in the Discount Club. Your membership will give you discounts on your book purchases. From now until Dec. 31, 2010, a membership fee of:

$100 to $500 will give you a 10% discount on your book purchases for 1 year
$501 to $1000 will give you a 10% discount on your book purchases for 2 years
$1001 to $1500 will give you a 10% discount on your book purchases for 3 years
>$1500 will give you a lifelong 10% discount on your book purchases

After January 1, 2011 the membership in the Discount Club will cost $50 and will give the member a 5% discount for one year. We will also offer Discount Club memberships to our volunteers. Moreabout that will be available later. If you would like to join, please make checks payable to Second Chapter Books, LLC and mail them to:

Second Chapter Books
PO Box 1807
Middleburg, VA 20118

You can contact us for more information and with your suggestions at
secondchapterbks@aol.com. Our temporary phone number is 703-597-2749 (this is Kathy jo’s cell phone).

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I wanted to share the entire email with you so that you can fully understand how this new store is going to be structured. By doing it this way, I believe Kathy jo and Jilann are doing something that will make the store truly Middleburg's own bookstore. And, because I know Kathy jo and Jilann very well, I can safely say that if you become a founding member of Second Chapter Books, you will be doing the right thing.

I wholeheartedly support this effort. I am honored to be able to share it with you, and I'm looking forward to doing my Christmas shopping at Second Chapter Books.

Please feel free to contact me if you have questions or thoughts and I'll try to assist in any way I can.